His Just Deserts
by ThatbloodyTartarus
Summary: Masquerade knew someday he'd have to pay for his crimes...he just hadn't expected his fate to come in the form of a group of sadistic teenage girls. Will the ex-villain survive this with his dignity intact? Not if they can help it. Lessons will be learned; laughs will be had; and two polar opposites will find they might have more in common than they think.
1. In which things get pervy

**A/N:** This is taking place after Gundalian Invaders but before Mechtanium Surge because _that shit didn't happen!_

 **Disclaimer:** Bakugan Battle Brawlers belong to its respective owners.

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 **Chapter 1: In which things get weird**

After a long day of crowded tables and loud talking at the Misaki Restaurant, the shrill peal of the doorbell finally signalled the exit of the last afternoon diner, allowing the dust to settle over the devastation in dining area. The lunch rush had hit like a storm crashing through the restaurant that day, leaving in its wake the debris of scattered cutlery, half-finished plates, empty glasses and stained tabletops for one disgruntled waitress to clean up. With some resignation, and an aggravated kick at the door making the wood squeak in protest, she got started, occasionally casting an envious look at the remaining guests of the restaurant. Well, technically _her_ guests, but she was too tired and annoyed to acknowledge that right then.

They sat huddled around some tables and chatted amongst themselves, seemingly unbothered by the restaurant's deserted state. Three young women sharing a plate of biscuits and a blonde male sitting at the next table, they might have looked like any group of teenagers, but they were easily one of the most peculiar groups of characters to have ever entered the restaurant. For what's more peculiar than two aliens, one of which a princess, an interdimensional traveller and an Australian reporter who was chatting away about saving the world and giant fighting _kaijū_ like it was an everyday occurence?

Julie Makimoto hadn't lowered her volume with the disappearance of the rush crowd. In fact, the emptiness of the restaurant seemed to have only given her room to get even louder, gesticulating enthusiastically as she talked. Opposite her, Mira Clay of Vestal and Fabia Sheen of Neathia were listening intently to her stories from the early days of the Bakugan Battle Brawlers, heroes of humans and bakugan alike, saviours of whole dimensions, as well as their…less heroic associates.

"So he was your…enemy?" The Neathian princess shifted her quizzical gaze from the silver-haired reporter in front of her to the masked blonde seated at their right.

Julie nodded enthusiastically. "Uh huh. He was a total bad guy, but not, like, _the_ big bad; that was Naga. You know, the ugly white lizard guy. Anyway, he used to steal people's bakugan and send them to this awful place, the Doom Dimension. He even sent _Dan_ there and then we had to go in after him." Here she paused and scrunched up her delicate features in a grimace just to convey how unpleasant it had been.

"That was a total drag. It was all dark and gloomy and icky and _so_ not good for my hair. I got the _worst_ split ends…" She turned to glare at the blonde boy over the injustice suffered by her hair, but he made no comment.

At this point the Neathian and the Vestal were hanging onto Julie's every word, their expressions something between entrancement and complete confusion. They didn't say anything, merely waited for Julie to finish her silent scolding and get back to telling them about the Brawlers' first adventures.

"So, yeah, he was pretty bad," Julie continued, finally turning her attention back to her audience, "but he got better, you see. 'Cause he had this huge ultimate showdown brawl with Dan and then Dan won and it was _awesome_ and he was like `you should totally join us, Masquerade´, but then he took his mask off and turned out to be _Alice_!" Julie spread her arms wide to emphasize the amazement she thought appropriate for such a great reveal. "I mean, like, _what a twist_ , right? Who'd've thought _that!_ But then Alice got all depressed and she was like `you guys can't trust me´ and she left for a bit. Think she went to Germany or something.

"So we were in the Doom, right, to stop Naga, and Dan was _all alone_ while facing these freaky half-bakugan—"

"Hybrids," interjected the blonde.

"Whatever. _I'm_ the one telling the story, thank you. So, like, Dan was on the ropes. They were gonna get him and kill him and rip out all his organs and make sashimi out of him, and _then_ —" she paused dramatically and leaned in over the table, her listeners mimicking her movement, "—and then, Masquerade showed up out of nowhere and totally saved Dan's adorable butt, and the two of them joined together and kicked those two jerks straight back to kingdom come. Then he sorta died." Julie said and grinned triumphantly, though when seeing the look of pure baffled incredulity on her friends' faces, she quickly amended: "Well, he came back, obviously."

From his seat, Masquerade couldn't help chuckling at the scene, even as he tried to supress it by sipping the steaming mug of coffee he'd ordered. The conversation so far had proved to be quite amusing, what with the alien girls' humorous facial reactions and Julie's disorderly-though-technically-accurate recounting of events.

"But…I still don't really understand…" Fabia said hesitantly and thus Julie was off again, telling them about how he'd been born from the negative energy of the Silent Core, how he was connected to Alice through his mask, how he had changed his mind after the loss to Dan and how he'd eventually gained his own body and his freedom and on and on and on…

From the looks on their faces, the two alien girls weren't any less confused now than when Julie had first started telling them about the mysterious masked figure relaxing by a table in the Misaki Restaurant. He hadn't said much since they'd met, aside from a brief greeting and his name ( _Masquerade?_ Just the word was enough to make the girls itch with curiosity), and he hadn't seemed to care much when Julie had plopped down at the table next to his and—to the other girls' horror and embarrassment—started to loudly proclaim his life story to them.

Masquerade reclined back in his chair, savouring the taste and feel of the hot brew prickling his tongue. Movement by the kitchen door caught his attention, muffled speaking sounds drifted out from within that he strained to hear. He tried to tune out Julie's one-woman show, but surprisingly it proved harder to ignore than the cacophony of monotonous noise from when the restaurant was full, the reporter's clear voice now dominating the almost empty room.

Admittedly, Masquerade preferred it this way; he wouldn't have to deal with strangers "discreetly" ogling him or commenting on his fashion choices in whispers they thought he couldn't hear. Like this, with only other brawlers around, he wasn't some aberrant freak or eccentric curiosity. They didn't care about his appearance.

At least, they usually didn't. In his peripheral vision he caught the redheaded Vestal looking— _staring_ —at him again, fidgeting in her seat. She'd been doing that since she had first seen him, though she would quickly avert her eyes whenever Masquerade turned his head in her direction. It had been amusing at first but now it was starting to get annoying.

He had come to the restaurant as Alice's escort; she'd been invited to a get-together for the female brawlers, the originals as well as their new alien additions. Masquerade had offered to take her, as travel by dimensional transport was much faster than by airplane—also because Masquerade was stingy with his DT and didn't feel like lending it to her for the weekend.

 _Speaking of Alice…_ Masquerade shifted his attention back to the doorway leading in to the kitchen area, where Alice was undoubtedly helping with the cleaning even though she didn't work for the Misakis anymore. Masquerade suspected it was mostly so she could talk in private with Runo. The two hadn't been in the same room for a long time, and he knew Alice had been looking forward to spending time with her best friend. He just hoped they wouldn't completely hog each other's time and attention and end up neglecting their other friends (and himself).

It was for the view that Masquerade had chosen this particular table. From his current spot he could see both the bar counter and also catch a glimpse of the kitchen whenever the door swished open with the entries and exits of the restaurant's sole waitress. The youngest Misaki was bustling back and forth between the kitchen and dining room, gradually cleaning up the mess. As she manoeuvred around the tables, she cleared away empty glasses and dirty dishes and stacked them high in her arms before returning to the kitchen, and then she removed the dining pads and meticulously wiped the tops, bending over slightly to reach the corners. She would only stop to exchange some pleasant words with her friends (and snarky ones in his case), her azure pigtails swinging as she went.

Masquerade kept his gaze on her as she approached his table, an empty tray balanced on one hand, a notebook in the other and a tea towel thrown over her shoulder.

"You done with that?"

He glanced down at his now-empty mug and said, "Apparently so. I think I would like one more." He snapped his fingers at her. "A double espresso on the double, if you please."

Runo narrowed her green eyes at the gesture. "You know you'll have to pay for it, right?"

"Put it on my tab."

"Ha! Like I'd give you one."

"…Put it on Alice's tab."

She tapped a pen impatiently against her notebook. "I don't think so. Besides, Alice actually _works_ for her discounts here, and I'm not about to let her pay for you, you freeloader."

"It's not freeloading. It's compensation for bringing her here, thus sparing her the financial burden and inconveniences of unreliable public transport. She owes me, really."

"You saying you can't pay, freeloader?" Her frown morphed into a smirk. "That's fine. We have plenty of pots and pans that need cleaning out back. I'm sure you could work off your debt in under an hour, if you're quick."

"Now, that's hardly fair. It's just a little cup of coffee. After everything I've done for the brawlers, you can't spare me one tiny cup of coffee." Masquerade shook his head sadly.

At the other table, the girls had ceased all conversation and were peering motionlessly over at the arguing pair as if observing a couple of rare exotic animals and the smallest sound or motion would trigger their fight-or-flight instinct (most likely the former in Runo's case). Julie was grinning, Fabia had furrowed her brows and Mira wouldn't really look at him.

He flashed them a grin. "Isn't that what you were talking about, ladies? About what a great guy I am. After all, I did sort of sacrifice my life to save Dan. Don't you think that's worth a little coffee?"

Fabia's frown deepened. "Actually, you sound like a really terrible person. Just because you did one decent thing in your life doesn't really make up for all the other awful things that you did."

Mira winced. It was a small movement, so small Masquerade almost missed it. He didn't take the time to wonder about it, though; he had other concerns right then.

" _One decent thing?_ I died!" he exclaimed, insulted. "I'm sorry, since when did sacrificing your own life for the greater good and saving someone's life in the process amount to just being _decent_? Why, I sure am glad _my death_ didn't inconvenience you in any way, that would just have been _indecent_ of me."

Fabia's jaw tightened. "Being forgiven is one thing, but what else have you done to earn your place among the Brawlers. If you've really reformed to the side of good, what exactly have you done to make amends for everything you did, now that you are not dead anymore?"

Masquerade was silent.

"Well, he _has_ helped us out a lot since then," Runo conceded after a pause, picking up his empty mug and fiddling with it as if fascinated by the moving froth at the bottom. "So he's not, like, an _evil_ jerk. He's really more of a bad bo—guy," she hastily amended and risked a glance at him, but quickly looked back when she caught his smirking at her. "Well, not that bad, just…just…"

"A bad boy," Julie said with a wicked glint in her grin.

"That's not what I said!"

At seeing Runo visibly squirm, Masquerade's own smirk widened. He leaned his arm on the table with his chin resting on the back of his hand, head slightly cocked to the side. "Oh, really? I'm _bad_ , am I, Runo?" he said teasingly. He saw how the muscles in her throat moved as she swallowed before turning a determined gaze at him.

"Yeah."

He chuckled. "And what have I done lately that's so—" he licked his lips, "—bad?"

Runo spluttered, "You…you just…err…" A red blush was blossoming on her cheeks, her fingers wrapped tight around the mug. "You're distracting me from my job, and…disturbing our other customers—I mean, my guests and…and…" Her eyes darted to the kitchen door and let out a breath of relief. "Oh, hi, Alice. Are you done already?"

Emerging from the kitchen, Alice wiped her hands on her apron and looked at her friend with a concerned expression. "I was wondering what took you so long. I thought maybe you'd got—" she looked pointedly at her other half, "—distracted."

Masquerade pulled back, his arms raised in surrender. "Hey, I didn't do anything. I mean, it's hardly _my_ fault if she can't stay professional—"

"You creep!"

"Now, see? That is very unprofessional, insulting a customer. And she won't even bring me my coffee, would you believe it. Don't expect any tip from me."

"I _expect_ you to _**pay**_ _your_ _ **bill**_ _!_ "

"But Alice said I could order whatever I liked and that she'd pay."

Said girl cringed. "That's true, Runo. I did say…"

One table over, Mira and Fabia were frozen in stunned silence while staring at the social train wreck in front of them: Masquerade smirking widely with Runo's fingers clutching at the air just a few inches from his face as if longing to go for the throat, the two spitting sarcastic and furious insults at each other all the while Alice was trying to keep some kind of peace, her face showing all the resignation of someone who'd had to deal with this exact situation way too many times already.

The alien girls were unable to even react, their brains having given up trying to process the constant emotional whiplashes and simply shut down. Occasionally, the girls would regain enough mobility to turn their eyes and share a dumbfounded look, but all other muscles appeared to be at a standstill. Mira couldn't even lift her hand to feel if her jaw really had dropped, or if that was just her imagination.

Julie on the other hand was muffling giggles into her hand, her eyes shiny with supressed tears.

The arguing parties paid no attention to their shocked spectators, however, and kept on shooting insults back and forth like they were playing a game of verbally abusive Ping-Pong with poor Alice trying to act as referee. Eventually, Runo threw her hands up and declared, "If you're going to be like that, then _fine_! Drink yourself into a caffeinated coma for all I care." She tucked the tray under her arm and turned sharply for the door, one of her blue pigtails lightly smacking him in the face with the motion.

Masquerade frowned at her retreating back. An irritated feeling settled like something sour in his mouth as he worked his jaw grudgingly, trying to find something to say to make her…

He snapped his head in Mira's direction when he felt her _looking_ again. " _What_?"

She jumped. The surprise at his outburst seemed to shock her out of her stupor, though her voice still felt a little shaky. "I-it's nothing. I wasn't—"

"You've been _staring_ at me all day. Do I look funny to you? Do you like looking at _the freak_?" he snarled.

"No! No, that's not—"

"Hey!" Runo had halted on her way through the door at his outburst and was now glaring at him. "Don't say things like that. What has Mira ever done to you?"

"Well, she seems to be looking at me like I'm some sort of circus attraction. Perhaps if she'd tell me what's so damned _interesting_ about—" Beside him, Alice put her head in her hands.

"Then don't _shout at her_!"

"Excuse me? _Who_ is shouting?"

" _Enough_." Mira stood up suddenly. Her unease momentarily forgotten, she fixed the two quarrelling earthlings with her most authoritative look. "I'm sorry if I offended you, Masquerade. I really didn't mean to be rude. It's just that…" she lowered her gaze, almost bashfully, "…it's just that you remind me of my brother."

Masquerade blinked. Usually he would have met such an _unfair accusation_ with scorn and the insistent denial that ' _ **no**_ _, we are_ _ **nothing**_ _alike'_ and ' _how_ _ **dare**_ _you'_ and ' _my dress sense is way better than that'_. But usually only Alice would have the gall to _so rudely_ bring that particular subject up, and she was always all gentle smiles and mild teasing. Now, faced with Mira's genuinely guilty look, he couldn't quite manage to muster up any real outrage.

"Oh…right, I see," Masquerade muttered, feeling awkward. "I'm…sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"I'm sorry, too," Runo chimed in, drawing the surprised gazes of the other brawlers. She rubbed her arm. "I know I don't make things any better when I blow up like that. And I'm sorry to you, too," she added, looking at Masquerade.

Mira nodded slowly, then sat down. A few seconds ticked by in awkward silence. All conversation seemed to have died (and for a moment Runo worried that she'd managed to ruin the whole get-together for everyone) and then Julie— _sweet blessed Julie_ —opened her mouth:

"So, Alice, do _you_ think Masquerade is a bad boy?"

Runo screwed her eyes shut. _Damn you, Julie._

Alice hesitated. "Well, I guess so. Since he's not really a villain, anymore."

"Regardless, I still think," Fabia interjected, frowning, "that Masquerade should face some kind of justice. Sure, he is apparently reformed now, but how does that compensate for all the terrible things he has done in the past?"

"So, what you're saying is…" Julie started, then turned a wicked smirk at Masquerade, "that he should be punished."

The masked blonde stilled; what could be seen of his face was expressionless, his mouth drawn in a firm line.

"And how do you expect us to do that?" Runo asked dismissively. "Tie him up and stick him in a cage somewhere? Only give him bread and water?"

"The punishment should fit the crime, I think," Fabia said. "Imprisonment would be appropriate for sending bakugan to the Doom Dimension, but…"

"So we put him in a cell or a closet or something," Runo mused out loud, "and maybe we should put him in chains too, just to be sure he can't escape…"

"Runo, you're not seriously considering—" Alice started.

"And then there's all the people he hurt when he stole their bakugan, and the Doom brawlers he brainwashed, and, you know, helping a power-hungry maniac to conquer the world," Julie said, tallying his crimes on her fingers, "and then there's how he used Alice and made her indirectly betray us."

"…Please don't drag me into this…"

To Alice's disappointment, Runo didn't seem to notice her quiet distress. Instead, the bluenette was listening intently to Julie before speaking again; her voice filled with way too much amused interest for Alice's liking.

"I'd like to shut up that smart mouth of his. Slap some duck tape on him or something."

Julie giggled madly. "Oh, yeah, we should _definitely_ gag him. And maybe tie him down on the floor and poor hot wax on him—"

"Or step on him—" Runo interjected with a sly wink to Julie, "with stilettoes."

"Runo, that's not very humane," Alice tried, but once again her plea fell on deaf ears.

"C'mon, Alice, that's nothing," Runo said, waving dismissively, "if I _really_ wanted to be inhumane I'd just strap him to a rack—"

"Alice," Masquerade spoke up, and the snap in his voice jolted the girls out of their debate. They looked at him as if they'd forgotten he was even there. When the masked boy addressed Alice again, his voice had a monotone quality to it, but Runo thought he sounded strained.

"Alice," he repeated, feigning indifference, "could you get me some cold water, please? With ice."

"Y-yeah, sure." Alice started hesitantly for the kitchen, throwing worried looks over her shoulder at her friends and Masquerade. He gave her a stiff smile, though it didn't do much to ease her worry. Especially not with the way the conversation between the girls was escalating.

Masquerade had edged as close to the table as his seat would allow, the tabletop digging into his abdomen like he was trying to cut himself in half. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! And what's worse, he was having a damn hard time controlling his body's reactions, his rising mortification making it almost impossible to think clearly. _Damn. Damn. Damn!_ What was he going to do? He couldn't just run, his pride wouldn't allow it. How ironic was that? He was going to let himself be humiliated because of his own _engorged ego!_

Mira looked thoughtfully between him and Runo, and Masquerade felt the dread spreading at the sudden glimpse of realization in her eyes. _Dammit it all!_

"Runo, I think you're narrowing down the possibilities by focusing solely on the pain; real punishment can embody so much more than that." she said innocently (Masquerade didn't buy it for a second, for obvious reasons).

Runo raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Such as?"

Mira nodded, a small smirk playing on her lip (he _knew_ it). "Well, you talked about restraining and gagging him, but what about depriving him of his senses, like using a blindfold and maybe earplugs?"

"And what good would that do?"

"Think about it: he's strapped to a table, can't move at all, can't see or hear so he has no idea of where he is, if he's being watched, and can't speak up or call for help. Whatever other punishment you can think of, he just has to lie there and _take it_."

Julie had her hands clasped over her mouth and appeared to be choking with hysterical laughter.

"Right. It's all about the psychology of it," Fabia said in serious tone and exchanged a conspiring glance with Mira, "the little torments just piling up one after the other until it becomes too much to bear…"

"…the pressure building…"

"…until he's desperate for just a _moment of relief_ …"

"Can't you just imagine that?"

Masquerade definitely could, and the image was going to haunt him in his sleep. Only his dignity kept him from crawling in under the table and never coming out, ever.

Runo's response was an absent-minded "I guess," like she wasn't entirely sure what they were on about. She was starting to get the feeling there was something going on between the other girls that she wasn't privy too. She shook her head.

"I didn't say I wanna _torture_ him, just, ya'know, _humble_ him a bit. I think a little humiliation would do his smug ass some good."

Julie had managed to swallow her laughing fit with only the occasional giggle escaping her mouth. "Y-you know…ha ha ha…if you wanna…he he…go all out, why not just strip him nake—OW!" Julie yelped when Runo aimed a swipe to the back of her head. "That _hurt_."

"Don't be a perv," Runo snapped. "There's gotta be another way to humiliate him without getting sleazy about it, we just have to think of—oh, _oh,_ I know, we could make him crawl around on his hands and knees _like a dog_." Both Runo and Julie snickered at the mental image.

Mira raised an eyebrow. "Why not just get him a collar, then. And maybe a leash."

Diverting her attention from her friends, Runo cast a scrutinizing glance towards the object of their little "discussion". Masquerade seemed not quite so relaxed now, posture stiff as if ready to bolt at any second, fingers tapping in rapid rhythm against the tabletop. He'd turned his head slightly towards her, but she couldn't be sure if he was actually looking her in the eye.

 _Not so smug_ _ **now**_ _, are you?_ she thought with satisfaction.

"We could parade him around in front of the other brawlers," Julie giggled, "like our own cute little puppy dog."

"I've got a better idea," Runo spoke to her friends, still facing Masquerade. "Why don't we put on one of those 'bark collars'. You know, the ones that give off a little shock every time the dog gets to loud." She grinned at him, showing all her teeth. "That'd shut you right up, now, wouldn't it?"

She caught a tiny, wincing movement by his throat—a sharp intake of breath. A stray pearl of sweat was trailing its way slowly, slowly down the white column of his neck. An odd tingling sensation spread through Runo's entire body at the sight of him in such a state and in knowing that it was _she_ who was having such a strong effect on the normally imperturbable boy. Really, she didn't need any penance from him; this little game was punishment enough, his obvious reactions more than a sufficient compensation.

Masquerade on the other hand was fighting to control his breathing. He could feel beads of cool sweat sliding down over his pulse, which was hammering away so loudly he was sure the beat must have been audible to everyone in the room. More than ever he was thankful of the mask that concealed his burning cheeks from the _hungry_ look in Runo's eyes, and it took absolutely all of his willpower to supress the shivers that tickled up and down his body, making him twitch under the table (and luckily out of her field of vision).

"It sounds like you intend to _train_ him like a dog too, Runo," Fabia said jokingly. "Are you going to teach him to roll over and beg at command?"

Masquerade jerked in his seat as if slapped, immediately drawing the attention of the girls. His shoulders were so tense it _hurt_ , and some of the looks he was getting didn't help. He tried to force himself back into a more relaxed posture, but any shifting on his seat only made his discomfort grow worse. _Dammit, where is Alice with that water!_

"But, you know, you have to do it _right_." With a salacious grin on her face, Julie winked at Runo and poked her in the side. "You're supposed to give him _treats_ when he behaves, and punish him when he's been bad."

Masquerade swallowed hard. _Does Julie know?_ He looked at the jointly entertained expressions of Julie, Mira and Fabia. _Who am I kidding? They_ _ **all**_ _know._

In a moment of desperation, Masquerade cast a glance at the ceiling and sent a mental prayer to whatever powers that might be that he would survive the next few minutes with his dignity intact, or at least that Runo wouldn't find out, otherwise his dignity wouldn't be the only thing ending up dead and buried. Maybe one of them heard him, or maybe he was just that lucky, for right then Alice finally reappeared, placing a full glass of ice cold water in front of him.

He muttered, "thanks," and moved to take a small sip. The glass was misty with condensation and the ice cubes clinked together as he lifted it to his mouth, the feel of it chilling his fingertips…

"Well, I don't know about any treats, but as for punishment," Runo sighed dramatically, "I guess whipping him with the leash would be animal cruelty."

If Masquerade had actually been drinking, he would have choked on his water. As it was, he was holding the glass about halfway to his mouth, unnoticeably eyeing the girls, making sure none of them were looking directly at him—

"I know _something_ you could give him for treats."

—and promptly dumped the iced water in his lap. He hissed loudly at the sudden cold _stab_ in his nether area as the water soaked through his pants.

Immediately he was offered the towel from Runo, which was accompanied by a "watch what you're doing, you klutz," though without any real bite to it. Thankfully, the incident seemed to have cut the conversation short. Some of the girls—Mira and Fabia, mostly—even seemed ashamed of their little "joke", not really helped by Alice's disapproving frown and stern insistence that they all apologize to him.

"It's fine," he lied, wiping at the wet stain on his pants "I think it's about time I left anyway. Ciao." And with that, he was gone in a small shower of white sparks, startling both of the alien girls (their usual teletransportation devices weren't quite so…flamboyant).

"It was just a joke," Runo muttered under Alice's judgemental glare, "besides, he kinda deserved it…I think."

Alice sighed. "You know, Runo? Sometimes, you can be just as bad as him."

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 **A/N:** Well, that was chapter 1 of _His Just Deserts_. Hopefully you found my incredibly immature humour funny, at least funny enough to want to read on for the next chapters. I got some more torture planned for our favourite masked villain, and don't worry; all of it won't be as…suggestive as this chapter—at least, for the most part.

Also, there will be shipping in this story. If you want me to tell you which pairing, well, * _points to the above text_ * do I really _need_ to?

Ah, poor Masquerade. It's not easy being a hormonal teenage boy surrounded by sadistic teenage girls and manipulated by an even more sadistic and depraved author.

And some practical information: This fic will be about four chapters long, but as you might have gleaned from the text above, they will all be pretty long (this one is over 5000 words—yikes). I'm going to try to stay on a regular updating schedule (the key word is _try_ ), about one chapter each week. If I don't have chapter 2 ready by some time next week, I might publish something else.

 **Next time:** In which a devil's deal is made

Stay tuned


	2. In which a devil's deal is made

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who read last chapter and especially to those who reviewed it. I hope this chapter is to your liking.

 **Review Response:** JetravenEx

Hi, girl. Thanks for reading and reviewing my stuff. I know I give you a hard time a lot, so feel free to tear my fic a new one wherever you find it appropriate to do so. I won't judge. Your review really made my day, by the by. You see, last chapter wasn't me being _perverted_ ; _that_ was me being **_subtle_**. Yeah. I can be way, _way_ worse. What's cooking up in my mind could make Christian Grey blush. But I'm not going to subject anyone here to that.

The girls definitely showed a side of themselves I don't think Masquerade was expecting at all, having been for so long with the much more (supposedly) innocent Alice. Personally, my favorite part of that entire conversation was the fact that the whole time Runo had absolutely no idea what was actually going on. She was taking all of that _way_ too literally, and enjoying it, which should be pretty damn terrifying for Masquerade, all things considered.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bakugan.

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 **Chapter 2: In which a devil's deal is made**

None of the girls had really expected to see more of him that weekend, not after the spectacle they'd made of him earlier, so Runo was naturally surprised when the shiny portal came spinning into existence in the middle of the restaurant that evening. She was going downstairs to brush her teeth in the kitchen sink—five girls and one bathroom was a battle somebody had to loose, and seeing as the group contained the seasoned warrior princess from a war-torn planet; the stern leader of a guerrilla resistance; a stubbornly persistent reporter with the vocal chords of a banshee; and a hot-tempered Runo, it was born to be a long and hard struggle, the number of casualties unpredictable but likely including torn hair, broken nails and some bruised egos.

Disaster had been averted only by Alice's stepping into the crossfire between Runo and Julie screaming about who'd get the shower next. Not wanting to look like a terrible hostess (or at least, any worse than she already did), Runo had offered to clean herself up downstairs; she could shower in the morning. _There probably wouldn't be any hot water left anyway_ , she thought as she headed for the kitchen through the diner.

She was suddenly blinded when a bright light flooded the dark room. She squeezed her eyes shut, her retinae burning with the glimpse of a silhouette drawn against the brightness.

Masquerade stepped out from the multi-coloured lights of his dimensional transporter. With the portal closed, he could just make out the startled girl in front of him, her figure barely outlined by shadows and the weak illumination escaping from the hallway.

"You jerk!" With one hand shielding her eyes, she lunged out with the other, missing him by a few inches. "Why'd you have to go and scare me like that?"

"Evening," he greeted, without showing any sign of the unease he had felt earlier that day.

"Yeah, yeah, hi." Runo continued to rub her eyes, dots of light still dancing behind her eyelids as her vision readjusted to the dark. "What are you doing here?"

"Alice forgot this," he said and held up a toilet bag with yellow flowers on it, "and she texted asking me to bring it for her."

"Ok. I'll give it to her, just gotta brush my teeth first. Julie's probably still using the bathroom, so…" She held out her hand and accepted the bag.

Surprisingly, or rather unsurprisingly, he didn't immediately poof out of the room but followed her into the kitchen where he jumped up and sat, cross-legged, on the counter.

"Got kicked out of your own bathroom, did you?"

By the sink, Runo paused her brushing. "Shey aa me gueshs. Ahm jush 'ein hoshitable," she managed to get out through all the white foam.

"You mean you got chased off."

She spat and rinsed her mouth. "I put up a pretty good fight."

He smirked. "I bet you did." He reached out a hand and barely brushed his finger over a slowly darkening bruise on her shoulder from when Fabia had actually physically thrown her out of the room that one time. "Girls can certainly be viscous."

"It doesn't hurt," she said and supressed a shiver. She told herself it was the cold and that she was only wearing a nightgown, not because of the slight touch of his hand against her bare skin.

After a moment of silence, he spoke: "But I have hurt you, though, haven't I?"

She stared at him. _What brought that up? What does he even mean by that, anyway?_ Her mental questions must have been pretty obvious on her face, though his was still unreadable thanks to the glass mask, which gave nothing away save for her own confused expression.

"I was thinking about your conversation from before," he began, "and I came to the conclusion that—too some extent—you were right. A joke it might have been, but it holds some kernel of truth." He shrugged.

"What do you mean? It was just a joke. We weren't really gonna do any of those thing to you." _Did he just shiver? Is he that bothered by it?_ Runo thought, guilt starting to sneak into her mind. It bled into the cracks and crevices of her memories from earlier that day, painting the clear images in different colours, her words drawn with a harsher line, her rose-tinted mirth toned in darker hues. It really hadn't been that funny, now that she thought about it. Actually, it had been a rather cruel—no, worse—a rather _shitty_ thing to do, especially considering his past.

Was that why? Was it because of Naga? His master, the one who had created him and as soon as he'd been "born", enslaved him and made him a tool for destroying a world he had yet to even lay eyes upon, dooming him to be alone, always and always alone.

But Masquerade had betrayed Naga in the end, defied him by choosing to help his enemies. And it had cost Masquerade his life. The heavy chain that had bound him to Naga had also been his lifeline, and Masquerade had chosen to cut it, to sacrifice everything he had for just the briefest moment of freedom.

Runo felt sick. _And I talked about treating him like a dog_. She had to apologize—no, she _needed_ to apologize. She just hadn't been thinking, but really, what kind of excuse was _that?_

She opened her mouth. "I'm so—"

"No, that's not what I was talking about. I meant the part about me being punished for my crimes."

She stopped what she was saying, mouth still hanging open.

"I mean," he continued, "it must bother you on some level, at least. How I've got away with everything after I manipulated and stole from you all. I sent your friends to their doom and, let's face it, people would have died because of me if Dan hadn't stopped me in the end. I took people's _minds_ from them, robbed them of their free will. And I _got away with it_ , with only a slap on the wrist and a stupid handshake." He held out his hand, reached it out towards the image of the boy from his memory. And then he was back there, facing Dan after their final brawl. Dan with his stupid, optimistic, _friendly_ grin, who'd offered to wipe Masquerade's sins away like they were merely a light coating of dust, not stains injected so deeply in under his skin they flowed with the negative energy that made up his essence. A promise of freedom, of redemption, of _belonging_ …

Masquerade shook his head, realizing he'd drifted off on a mental tangent. "Surely, that must have pissed you—"

"I wanted you to do it," she cut him off. "I wanted you to take Dan's hand that time."

She imagined he looked surprised, though it was impossible to tell.

"Why?"

"I don't know why," she answered. She stepped away from the counter and put her arms around herself. Under his interrogating gaze piercing her and nailing her to the spot, she suddenly felt more uncomfortable in her light nightgown than she had before. Her eyes fluttered from floor to ceiling as she tried to gather her thoughts into some kind of sense. Something she could articulate. But they were all just rough-edged fragments of emotions and unfinished wishes, thick and heady like fog and just as ungraspable; it did not allow itself to be compressed into mere words.

"I guess it would have been a tactical advantage, if I were to have joined you. Naga would have lost his best brawler, as well as any chance at retrieving the Infinity Core, and the Brawlers would have a strong new ally to—"

"No! Well, yes, but…you don't get it!" Runo shook her head wildly, her swinging pigtails chasing his words away like a mare swatting away flies with its tail.

Masquerade frowned at being interrupted again. "Then why?" he said sourly.

"Because…because Dan…" She started to pace, unsure. Masquerade was about to snap and demand she just spit it out already when she suddenly stopped and looked him straight in the eye.

"Because if Dan could overlook all that, if he could forgive everything and be your friend, then, dammit, I could too," she said. "Dan doesn't care about 'tactical advantages' or anything like that. He cares about right and wrong. And if he thought you were worthy of being forgiven, then there must be something right about you."

Masquerade looked away. "I don't believe you."

"Believe it. You're not as bad as you want everyone to think you are."

He leapt off the counter and suddenly he was standing right in front of her, lips curled in a snarl.

"What's wrong with you—with _all_ of you? Didn't you hear me? People could have died! _You_ could have died! And it would have been my fault. Why don't you get that?"

She didn't flinch or back away, but stood firm and met the hard eyes glaring back at her from the mask, her own defiant determination reflected in the glass. That ever-present mask that kept his emotions concealed behind it, bottled up with the lid screwed tight. But now his composure was cracking, his rage pushing and forcing its way through, not allowing itself to be contained any longer. She could hear it in his accusatory words, could see it in his clenched jaw, and she could _feel_ it in his every hot breath as he leaned in even closer.

"Do you still think it was all just a _game?_ That I wasn't really serious, just playing around with you? Tag and you're out, right? I wasn't really trying to hurt anybody and if people did get hurt, then it was just an accident. Not my fault, oh, no, _never_ my fault, never my deliberate, premeditated, intentional—" he cut himself off, clamping his teeth over his bottom lip so hard Runo thought he would split the skin, and she was sure that inside his clenched fists, nails were carving red-tinted crescents into the flesh.

"I don't make mistakes," he hissed through gritted teeth, each syllable spoken with clear finality. "Everything that I ever did, I _meant_ to do it. I wanted to. And you know what else? _I loved it!_ "

Suddenly he broke out laughing, a cold humourless _mocking_ sound. She wanted to slap him just to make him stop.

"I loved brawling. I loved winning. And I loved crushing the puny pathetic pests that opposed me under my heel. There were no accidents—I planned for everything. And my plans were _perfect_ , my strategies without fault, and to see all my plans play out to perfection—it was glorious! And all those bawling brawlers danced right into the palm of my hand and I never hesitated, never for a second, to _crush_ them! Oh, the look on their faces when they lost, the realization when they learned all hope was gone. I loved it. Do you see now? I wasn't forced to do anything. It was all _me_! _I_ did it!"

Masquerade grasped the front of his coat tightly, like he would start ripping his chest open until his rotten grimy interior spilled negative energy into his hands, and he would hold it out for her to see that _'_ _ **this**_ _is what I am; this unnatural, disgusting_ _ **thing**_ _, just look at this, at_ _ **me**_ _'_. He was completely loosing control now. He didn't care.

"I did everything of my own. Free. Will."

Runo's hands shot up for his neck. It was too quick for Masquerade to pull away (or he didn't even try to). He was jerked forward by Runo's iron-grip on the collar of his coat, his face now hovering a few inches from hers. His words immediately died on his tongue.

Runo's fists tightened like vices, locking the masked ex-villain in place. She spoke, not in a shout, but softly and with a searing edge behind every word:

"But you _weren't_ free."

He grasped her wrists, though made no effort to pry them away. "It doesn't matter. I was glad to follow Lord Naga's orders and I carried them out _enthusiastically_. You saw me back then; can you honestly say you thought I was anything but a monster. Did I look remorseful, like I didn't believe in what I was doing?"

He took a shuddering breath. "Of course not. I felt like the king of the world, everyone and everything was beneath me. I was untouchable. Don't you see? There's no point in trying to pin everything on Naga. I wasn't mind-controlled or bribed or threatened like the others. I might as well have been free."

Runo's eyes sparked with challenge. "To have been free, you'd have to have had a _choice_. And I know you didn't choose that life."

"I was _happy_ with my life." No other words had ever hurt more to say.

"But you don't sound very happy about it _now_. You've _changed_ , Masquerade. I know you have."

"How can you say that? You don't know me. _**None**_ _of you_ _ **know**_ _ **anything**_ _about me_."

That struck a nerve. She blinked uncertainly, her mouth opening, speechless, something about her features softening even as her grip stayed tight on his collar. Then he watched as new determination came alight in her eyes and he almost forgot the whole argument in that burning look.

"What have you done lately, Masquerade?" she said sternly, echoing Fabia's words from earlier, the words that had weighed down on his mind like a dense black stone grinding all other thoughts to fine sand that easily washed away. ' _What have you done to earn your place?_ ' _'What have you done to make amends?'_

"Nothing," he said, giving the answer he hadn't been able to then.

"Exactly." Her response was…triumphant, like he'd conceded to her side of the matter rather than confirm his own self-degradation. "There you go."

Masquerade stared at her in confusion. Did she even hear herself? "But it's just like Fabia said—"

"Never mind what Fabia said; listen to what _I_ say," she snapped, for the first time raising her volume just a decibel, yet it shook through him like thunder, making his skin quiver and prickle in the aftermath.

"What have you done to the Brawlers, Masquerade, since you came back? Have you hurt us? Betrayed us? Tried to take revenge on us? You've had plenty of opportunity to do all that and more, but you haven't. You've got the choice now, you get to decide what your life is gonna be, and so far the worst thing you've done is giving Dan a taco filled with wasabi."

A small chuckle broke through at the memory.

Runo's own lips twisted upwards. "So you see, I'm right. If you really wanted to, you could go straight back to stealing from little kids and creeping on people when they sleep." Her glare as she said the latter made it quite clear what she thought of that particular activity.

"Point is, you _have_ changed, Masquerade, because you chose to. Ever since you were free, _really_ free, you weren't our enemy anymore. And you don't need to save someone's life every day to prove that to anyone."

She looked down, breaking eye contact for the first time since the argument started, and finally let go of his coat, taking a step back as she contemplated what more there was to say.

"And you know, what you said to Mira isn't true either." She could feel her cheeks heating up. "You're _not_ a freak."

Masquerade just stood there awkwardly, and then turned his head away with a dismissive "hmph," putting an end to the topic.

At his snort, she went for the cabinet over the counter. She had a feeling he wouldn't leave until he'd said whatever he wanted to say, no matter how much she argued with him. She pulled out some cups. "Tea?" she asked.

No words passed between them as the kettle boiled. She poured the water and put in the teabags—green tea, her favourite—and added a spoon of sugar to her own drink and three to his, though without his asking so. Alice claimed he had an incorrigible sweet tooth—a claim he continued to vehemently deny, no matter how many times she caught him literally with his hand in the cookie jar in the middle of the night.

They sat opposite each other on the kitchen table, she sipping on her cup and he just stirring the drink and staring into it, as if trying to read the future in tea leaves that weren't even there.

It was funny how their moods turned, never quite lingering on an emotion long enough to leave any permanent mark. They were like clouds rolling by, sometimes shifting and passing swiftly, easily dissolved by a shy breath or a harsh apology, yet most were dark and heavy, crashing and raging before eventually drifting off. But even when they had shouted and fought up a storm, afterwards there was always quiet, like now.

So Runo waited.

And waited…

…and waited…

…and _waited_ …

…and waited until her cup was empty and she was glaring daggers at the masked boy, just _daring_ him to keep ignoring her.

After having scrutinized the cup of flavoured water, Masquerade concluded that it had not in fact been poisoned and was safe to drink. Honestly, it had been a rather silly idea, but thinking Runo was plotting to murder him was far easier to deal with than their last conversation. He still didn't know how to feel about any of it, not to mention he hadn't even got to know what he originally came for.

Tipping his head back to drink, he finally caught the cold glare from across the table.

 _Oh, crap._

He had to say something, maybe even try asking the question that had been eating at his mind all day. That _was_ why he'd returned, after all, forgotten toiletries aside. He'd spent hours mentally preparing himself for the encounter, trying to formulate exactly how to make his request (without it being too obvious). His plan had been to bring up the subject matter carefully, easing it into the conversation and simply _suggest_ what he wanted in such a way as to make Runo believe it was all her own idea. It had been going swimmingly too, at least up until their conversation had derailed into that rocky and unpredictable territory (of uncertainty and self-blame and _guilt_ ) which he just wasn't prepared to go through. Ever.

So that plan had gone to the dogs pretty fast. Usually Masquerade would have had a back-up plan (and a back-up for the back-up), but his mind had been all undone since he'd escaped the restaurant the first time. Now he was drawing a blank. What to do then? It's not like he could just go back to his original plan; Runo was _bound_ to get suspicious if he suddenly started the exact same conversation again, about his never having been punished for his sins, about how mad she must be at him despite her claims of having forgiven him because _how could she_ and about how he _deserved_ it and wanted it and needed it and…

Maybe he should just ask her straight out? What could it hurt—except for his pride…and his reputation…and his health…and other members of his anatomy? Masquerade suppressed a shudder and defiantly crossed his arms (and legs).

 _Uncertainty is weakness_ , he reminded himself sternly. He couldn't allow himself to hesitate any further; he would just have to jump in amidst the sharks and see if he drowned. He drew in a deep breath—

"Why are you still here, anyway?" Runo interrupted (somewhat self-satisfied) when she saw him opening his mouth.

 _Okay, minor setback_ , Masquerade thought. Still, now was his chance. "There was something I wanted to ask you," he began.

"Yes?"

He hesitated, still trying to find a way of asking that wouldn't mortify him to the point where he choked on his own tongue, or worse, offend the girl and make him look like a giant pervert. Mentally slapping himself, he managed to force out, "did you mean any of it?"

"Mean what?"

 _Dammit_. This was difficult enough as it was; did she really have to have him elaborate? _It's too late to back out now._ Masquerade steeled himself. "What you all were talking about earlier today."

She blinked. "You mean the…'punishment' thing?"

"Yes." _She gets it_ , he thought, relieved.

Runo frowned. "I told you, we weren't being serious. It was all just a—"

"Joke, I know," Masquerade interjected, "and I admit, I might have deserved it. But it…made me think. It hadn't occurred to me before that you all might want me to pay somehow for what I've done to you, that someday you might demand I face the consequences of my actions, and _you_ especially…" he trailed off, his nerves biting and nipping at him until he was goose fleshed all over.

"I'm sorry," Runo said, surprising him, her small smile full of all the embarrassment he himself was feeling. "I know I freaked you out, and yeah, maybe we all took it a wee bit too far. But c'mon, it _was_ kinda funny. You shoulda seen your face…err, figuratively. We were just messing around with you."

She raised her hands, palms out, as if to show she was unarmed, and winked at him. "So don't worry. I'm not gonna chloroform you in the middle of the night and stuff you in a dungeon—like _you_ did to _me_."

"One, I didn't use chloroform; two, it was during the day; and three, I put you in an unlocked, unguarded guestroom in my luxurious mansion. I'd hardly call that a 'dungeon'."

She shrugged. "Same difference. I mean, you _were_ manhandling me while I was unconscious. Who knows what you might have been doing to me."

Masquerade spluttered. "How _dare_ …I would _never_ …"

Runo simply waved his angry ramblings away, all the while wearing a smirk he was pretty sure she must have picked up from him. "I know, I know. I'd have all your fingers broken if I'd thought for a second you'd done something like that. See? I only punish people when they to evil creepy things, so you're mostly in the clear—for now."

"So you _did_ mean it."

"Wha—no!"

"Yes, you did," Masquerade responded triumphantly, the indignation he'd felt at her earlier accusation spurring him on. "Admit it. It wasn't just all talk, you _do_ want to punish me."

"No! I was never actually going to—"

"But you were _thinking_ about it. In fact—" his smirk widened into an unapologetically lewd grin, "—it sounded like you've been thinking about it quite a lot."

Runo gaped, her face aflame.

Brazen with overconfidence, he pressed on. "What do you think about, Runo? Down in the deepest…darkest…most private part of yourself, what do you think about doing to me? Are you hurting me? Tormenting me? Making me beg for mercy? Telling me what an evil little _shit_ I am?"

He lowered his voice to an ominous whisper. "Don't you want revenge, Runo? For all the things I've done to you, to your friends, don't you want to make me pay? All the things I've taken from you, think about them. First, I took your bakugan, then I took Dan from you and then I even took away _Alice_ —"

Like a striking predator, all Runo's muscles released in a lightning fast spring forwards that sent her chair scraping across the floor. She slammed her hands on the table and the whole thing shuddered as if threatening to collapse.

"Shut. Up!" she hissed, her teeth grinding together just a few inches from his face. " _Fine_. _Sometimes_ I want to give you a taste of your own medicine. _Sometimes_ I think about getting even for my friends. And _sometimes_ I'd like to wipe that grin off your face when you don't seem to realize just how badly you're hurting me!"

He winced internally and all visible signs of amusement vanished from his face.

Her hands tightened into fists. "Because _sometimes_ you can be a real jerk! But I stand by what I said, Masquerade; I know you're trying to change for the better. And it's obvious you're plenty guilty over what you did, so there's no need for me to _torture_ you or anything. I'm not going to tie you up and _force_ punishment on you."

Runo jumped when she felt his fingers brush over one of her white-clenched fists.

"But what if," he said softly and folded his hand around hers, "hypothetically—" his thumb stroking at her wrist, "—as an apology—" moving it in small circles over her beating pulse, "—I gave you permission to."

Runo slowly pulled back, her hand slipping from his grasp. It was strangely warmer than the other.

"Runo, I…want this," he confessed, to her as well as himself. He'd tried to deny it, _desperately_ so. But ever since Fabia and the others had put the thought in his head, it had refused to leave him alone. Circling around and around in the vortex of his confused mind until the thought had been caught in the centre, becoming the singular point that made any sense to him.

Meanwhile, his words were playing on repeat in Runo's mind, at first too fast and unintelligible, then slower and slower as she tried to process every word, just to be sure she'd heard right. "You… _want_ …to be punished—" she pointed quizzically at herself, "—by…me?"

Masquerade shrugged noncommittally, trying to shed his ill-fitting vulnerability and wrap himself in the more familiar coat of arrogant indifference.

"You're simply the best candidate between all the Brawlers. You are one of the originals, meaning you actually bore witness to many of my crimes; you have their leader's trust, so whatever punishment you assign me will likely be accepted by the rest; and you have a bit of a ruthless streak, thus I know you will not go easy on me like, say, Alice or Dan probably would."

Runo appeared to have gotten over her immediate shock and was now scrutinizing him carefully. "You're serious? You'd really let me do _anything_ to you?"

Masquerade _forced_ the sudden mix of conflicting feelings down— _that's_ _ **not**_ _what she meant!_ —and continued nonchalantly, "My fate is in your hands."

"But _why?_ "

He frowned, annoyed. "Weren't you paying attention? I want to make it up to you goody-goody two-shoes. Now, can I please stop having to repeat myself?"

Runo looked contemplatively at him for a moment, her brows slightly furrowed. With a tone that was dead serious, and with her thoughtful expression eerily reminding him of how she'd looked last time this matter was discussed, she asked him:

"So…you have to do whatever I want?"

"Well, yes, that would be the arrangement."

"I get to pick whatever punishment I like and you won't say no?"

"I am completely at your service."

"For how long?"

"I don't know. As long as it takes?"

"And you won't suddenly back out." She raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"You have my word."

"No matter what?"

He rolled his eyes. " _Yes_. Come rain or shine, I will follow your every command."

"Okay, then." With that her serious-business face cracked into a wide _excited_ grin, all pointy-toothed like a shark that had caught the whiff of blood, and she thrust out her hand. "It's a deal."

Masquerade wondered how this small bright-eyed girl could make him feel like jumping up and down like an overexcited child while shoving his fist in the air and at the same time make him want to run for the hills as fast as he could in abject terror.

Rather that doing either, he matched her cheshire grin with his own and grasped her hand. "Deal."

They shook on it.

After having returned to Alice's residence in Russia, he replayed the day's events in his mind and upon reaching the inevitable climactic end, only a single thought managed to penetrate the thick cloud of satisfaction he was slowly drowning himself in.

 _What the hell did I just get myself into?_

* * *

 **A/N:** And that was **Chapter 2: In which a devil's deal is made**...at the very, very end because I had to spend a good 4000 words on just Runo and Masquerade taking the piss out of each other (that's an expression, by the way, don't take it literally).

You know, I remember when this fic was supposed to be funny—that didn't last long, now, did it? Instead, we have teenage angst and awkward flirting and my sad attempts at character development. Oh, well. I promise next chapter will be funnier, at least my definition of "funny".

Until next time: **In which shenanigans happen**

 **Preview:** "In his short lifetime, Masquerade had faced a mad scientist green goblin, a nigh-all powerful megalomaniacal dragon, the ancient warrior of darkness as well as the twisted image of his repressed other half, two crazy hybrid bakugan, that meddlesome moron Dan Kuso and even his own _death_. But _nothing_ had _ever_ _**horrified**_ him more than what was inside the seemingly innocent box that Runo had just given him."


	3. In which the horror cannot be unseen

**A/N:** Welcome back, gentle-readers. After months and months of me either writing other stuff or procrastinating to my heart's content, I've finally finished chapter three of HJD...part 1. Yeah, my original plan for chapter three turned out so long that I'm going to split it up into more parts. This also means I'm opening up the story for suggestions, but more on this later. And since there really isn't that much shenaniganism in this chapter, I'm renaming it.

I think from now on if I say I'll do something within a certain time or make it so-and-so long—just assume that I'm lying.

My eternal gratitude to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed or favourited. You're all awesome.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bakugan. Story icon is " **Fureur** " by **Inesidora** on **Deviantart** (who very recently wrote on her journal that she was going to deactivate her account, so by all that is holy _keep_ sending her messages that you love her art so that she _won't!)._

* * *

 **Chapter 3: In which the horror cannot be unseen**

Runo didn't waste any time. Already the next day Masquerade had received a text issuing the time and place for his 'punishment,' and he'd noted with some apprehension that it would be during the girls' little slumber party. So apparently there was going to be an audience, not that he'd been very surprised. _Of course_ Runo would have told her friends and _of course_ they would have jumped on the chance to stick their noses in his business—he _strongly_ suspected that the winking emoticon had been Julie's work; it seemed a little too… _flirtatious_ to be Runo's style.

But true to his word, Masquerade reappeared at Runo's house that Sunday at noon, for once popping into existence just outside her bedroom door rather than inside her room like he'd used to; a habit that, to her frustration and his irritatingly great amusement, never failed to drive the girl into a ranting rage. He loved it. The way her eyes would light up and her cheeks flush as she threw verbal punches at him, and he'd take it all with a grin on his face and a sharp riposte of his own. At least his visits were never boring.

Then there was…the incident. Suffice to say, the bruising pains and aches in his limbs had taught him a valuable lesson about respecting a young lady's privacy, even if there was a small traitorous part of his mind that, when looking back, would whisper contently, "S _o worth it._ "

The door opened and Runo flinched back a step upon finding herself face-to-chest with the masked blonde, letting out a small cry of surprise.

"Runo! Are you okay?" The worried faces of Julie and Alice peeked out from over Runo's shoulder. She didn't answer, her attention (and fury) honed in on her overly self-satisfied guest.

" _Argh_ , Was that really _necessary_ , you jerk?"

Masquerade smirked. "Aw, did I frighten you? Perhaps you should cut down on the caffeine, _tigronok_ , then you wouldn't be so easily spooked."

"I only get 'spooked' because you keep jumping out at me from freakin' _nowhere_ all the time! Can't you just use the _doorbell_ for once—you know, that thing that let's people know when you've arrived so they don't jump out of their own skin every time you show your face? Hell."

He moved to step out of her way as she shouldered past him, but with a shove she spun him around just as a pair of arms reached out and pulled him into her room. Masquerade glanced down in bemusement at the grinning face of Julie, who was securely holding on to his arm.

"What?"

"It's time to get changed," Julie answered in a singsong voice.

That didn't make any kind of sense. Clearly, asking Julie to be the voice of reason was the wrong decision.

"Excuse me." Masquerade turned to Alice. "What?"

She only bit her lip and shook her head slightly.

 _Well, that isn't a good sign,_ Masquerade thought as he turned his attention to the girl currently holding his fate in her hands.

Runo was standing with her arms crossed and feet planted wide in what Masquerade had dubbed her I'm-not-taking-anyone's-shit-today pose, but her expression was almost comically serious. The very corner of her mouth twitched a little.

"You heard her. Go get changed," she said.

"Into what?" he responded, perplexed.

"Your _uniform,_ smartass. You're going to be waiting on us in the restaurant and you need to look the part."

"So, you want me to… _work_ for you," he asked incredulously, "as a waiter?" _This_ was what she considered a proper penalty for him: Carrying trays and cleaning tables? As if he hadn't been doing that enough as Alice? "That doesn't sound like anything we agreed on."

Runo frowned. "Hey, I _distinctly_ remember someone saying he'd do _anything_ I told him."

"And _I_ distinctly remember that I wanted to be _punished_ by you, not _employed_ by you," Masquerade blurted out, immediately realizing what he'd just admitted right in front of Alice and Julie (who respectively blushed and giggle-snorted).

"Actually, I couldn't make up my mind on what horribly embarrassing thing I was gonna have you do, so I decided you're gonna be my 'slave for a day' and do whatever I tell you to. Besides, I think some legit hard work would do you good."

"Ah, I see." _Meaning she must have something more interesting planned for later_ , Masquerade thought and twisted out of Julie's grip. "And where is my uniform, then?"

Julie's smile grew by several molars (he'd be tempted to call it 'mischievous' if he believed she was capable of such a thing), her finger pointing into Runo's room and sure enough; perched on the bed was a perfectly innocent-looking, white, lidded box.

Masquerade looked back only to notice Alice sending _pleading_ eyes at Runo, and he felt a small shiver run up his spine.

"Alright," he said, trying not to sound unnerved. "I suppose I should get changed."

Julie's grin erupted into giggles.

Masquerade turned his head towards her, then Alice and back again. The two girls were still glued to his side.

"Preferably alone."

Runo's patience reaching its notoriously short end, she pulled both of her friends out of the room and shut the door, cringing at Julie's "We'll be right here if you need a _hand_ " just as the wood smacked against the frame.

She could faintly hear the _click-click-click_ of his heels as he crossed the floor, and with every step it became increasingly harder to swallow that bubbling knot of excitement back down in her chest, where it pulsed painfully against her ribcage with supressed laughter. Closer…just a little closer… Had the space in her room suddenly expanded? That would explain why only a few steps from door to bed seemed like an endless trek. Or was time simply dilating with the speed of Runo's beating heart?

There were the sounds of clothing being shuffled and a low mutter of "What in the…"

Then, dead silence.

Runo braced herself.

" _ **Runo!**_ "

She choked, almost dropping to her knees with the effort of keeping her laughter down.

The door flung open.

" _What the_ _ **hell**_ _is_ _ **this**_ _?"_ he glared at her with what was probably a lot of malice—unfortunately it lost some of its effect because of the mask, but still the intent was oozing off him in dark waves. The force of his quiet outrage seemed concentrated on the article of clothing dangling from between his thumb and finger, which he was holding out as far from himself as the reach of his arm would allow, as if any exaggerated contact with it would burn his skin.

Runo swallowed hard and felt tears sting in her eyes. "What? I thought you liked purple," she forced out. Beside her, Julie was doubled over and pounding the floor with her fists.

Masquerade's mouth curled in disgust. "You can't be serious? There's no way I'm wearing that _**thing**_ _._ "

"Oh, I am and yes, you are," Runo stated simply, snatching the item and holding it up to his face.

Masquerade actually jumped back and hissed.

Runo sighed, "Quit being so dramatic."

"I have an image to uphold. I can't be seen in _that!_ This is _character assassination_."

"Masquerade," Alice weighed in gently, "don't you think you're overreacting. Surely it's not—" her eyes darted to the outfit and she seemed to wince slightly, "—that bad?"

"It's a crime against fashion! And the entire animal kingdom!"

"Okay then," Alice started hopefully, "why don't you both just forget the whole thing. No one needs to wear the suit or make up for anything or…"—her voice grew softer until she could barely stumble through the last word—"let themselves be a-abused."

Runo shrugged, "Whatever. I never thought he'd have the chops to do it anyway—"

"Now, hold on a second," Masquerade interrupted. "I may not like this _at all_ , but a deal's a deal. And if this is your twisted idea of what constitutes as proper punishment, I'll do it." He ripped the suit from her hand and closed the door on their faces, calling out through the wood, " _But it's under duress_."

Julie looked over at Runo.

"Told you, you should have just gone with spanking hi—OW!"

* * *

After several embarrassing minutes of squeezing into the tight suit and fighting with the zipper in the back, Masquerade scanned himself over in the mirror and grimaced.

 _Shit. This looks even worse with me in it._

Repeated irate knocks sounded from the door. "Are you done yet?"

"Not yet," he called back as he once more looked over the 'accessory items' spread out on the bed. Apprehensively he slipped on the pair of gloves, which were purple and white with little black claws on the tips and _comically_ big for his hands.

 _It's like they belong to a cartoon character,_ he thought in disgust, wriggling the fingers of his 'paws.'

Only the headband left, then.

Feeling more discomforted than he'd ever admit, he made himself remove his mask and carefully placed it on Runo's dresser, easily within arm's reach. He then tried to jam the headband on to his head but, well, it proved to be a lot easier said than done, as the thing just seemed to bounce of his hair. He spent almost half a minute simply trying to dig through his _miles-and-goddamned-miles_ of gravity-defying locks and force the headband onto his scalp. Eventually he got it settled on his head and hurried to replace his mask. There was a slightly uncomfortable pressure by his temples, but he could live with that.

No way was he going out there without his face on.

In full getup, Masquerade finally mustered up the courage to face what he'd become in the full-length mirror—and felt his stomach drop to the floor, commit _seppuku_ and spontaneously catch on fire. That person facing him couldn't _possibly_ be him. Not the cool and confident master brawler who'd sowed terror in the minds of children all over the world, the one who'd effortlessly dominated a game of giant monsters and who had been _so close_ to holding ultimate power in his hands…

The same villain who'd doomed so many…the Bakugan, the Brawlers…even two whole worlds…

But _there_ , standing in the place of the once-irredeemable thief of Bakugan was a cartoonish alien so _ridiculous-_ looking he could put even Spectra Phantom's entire wardrobe _to shame_.

More knocks on the door. "Excuse me, but are you, like, done?" he heard Julie say but didn't respond. He was too caught up in looking at— _gag_ — _himself_ like his own reflection was the human personification of a horror movie.

He was wearing a tight, full spandex bodysuit—a _neon purple_ spandex bodysuit with lighter purple (he _refused_ to think the word 'pink') tiger stripes along his sides, arms and legs, and his chest sported a fluffy tuft of white fur. Then there were the ridiculously huge gloves with paw prints and little claws, and dangling mockingly from behind him (or rather, _from_ his behind) was a long purple tail. The headband actually wouldn't have been so bad—considering it was practically invisible thanks to his hair anyway—if not for the triangular ears poking out over the band of his mask.

He couldn't believe what he had become—but it was true; he was a…a…

" _I am a_ _ **purple cat!**_ _"_ he cried, gripping the edges of the mirror like he was accusing it of lying to him.

"No," Julie's voice trilled out from the other side of the door, "you're the _Cheshire_ cat."

"I don't _care_ what kindof cat I am. I look like an _idiot_!"

"If you're, like, done with your tantrum now,"—the door handle turned down—"can I—"

" _Don't come in!_ "

"Fine, geez. What's _with_ you today? So moody."

"I'm not—" He glanced down. "I'm not decent."

"What'd you mean? You aren't dressed yet?"

"Well, yes, but…"

" _Oh my_ _ **god**_. What the hell is the problem _now_?" came the roar of his blue-haired tormentor, a loud bang punctuating her words, presumably from her fist or simply from the wood itself crying out in fear at her volume.

Undeterred, Masquerade snapped back, "Let's just say this outfit doesn't exactly have a lot of _breathing room_." Now, that was an understatement; there wasn't any 'room' in the suit at all. The spandex stuck tighter than his own skin. With the way it perfectly outlined the dips and valleys of his lean musculature and, more noticeably, the deep markings of his already prominent collarbones and ribs (something which had always bothered Alice but Masquerade merely saw as an excuse to eat more cake), his every contour stood out in clear relief.

He was practically naked in this thing.

"I'm pretty sure it's a breach of your family restaurant's business policy, too. This thing is _definitely not_ very child-friendly," he continued.

"The hell do you mean?"

Masquerade gritted his teeth, tugging stubbornly at the bottom half of his suit. But it only stretched apart from his skin for about inch before it snapped back and, as if driven by a spiteful will of its own, clung even tighter, chafing against the junctures of his legs.

And _fuck_ if he couldn't feel it creeping up _dangerously high_ in the back.

Masquerade never thought he'd experience such an invasion of privacy from a piece of _garment_.

"I mean that unless you want a detailed and in-person look at _my ass_ I suggest you provide me with some damn pants!"

A new round of giggles, he assumed Julie's or Runo might have just cracked.

And then—to his _shock_ and _bloody horror_ and _why, gods, why—_ the door cracked open and despite Masquerade's immediate dash to _throw himself at the door_ and slam it shut, he wasn't fast enough to keep the silver and pink girl-demon from darting inside.

For a second, Masquerade could only stand pressed up against the door and stare at a grinning Julie over his shoulder. Who, for the record, definitely wasn't looking him in the eye.

She gave him a thumbs-up. "Nice tush."

Masquerade stiffened, resisting the urge to cover himself.

"I told you not to come in," he growled, wishing he had some other way of expressing his _unyielding outrage_ at her impromptu comment. Like throwing her out the window.

"Don't worry about me, I don't get embarrassed by that kind of stuff. I mean, like, everyone has seen one before, right. But it's okay to be shy, you know. Like, it's natural to get a little self-conscious, but you just have to realize that you really got nothing to be insecure about—"

"Julie!"

"After all, everyone is beautiful in their own—"

" _ **Why**_ _are you here_?"

"I'm here to help you find something extra to wear, silly," she answered, unfazed by his visible ire. Honestly, the girl seemed completely fearless at times—though, to be fair, Masquerade wasn't exactly at his most intimidating at the moment, appearance-wise.

As Julie skipped over to riffle through Runo's dresser, Masquerade managed to discreetly manoeuvre himself over to the bed, where he sat down with his arms and legs crossed and a petulant scowl on his face.

"Where did you even get this thing?" he grumbled. It was hard to believe she'd just picked it up at the local costume store; the leave-absolutely-nothing-to-the-imagination catsuit wouldn't even have been considered appropriate for _cosplayers_.

"The internet," Julie snickered, which was only distinguishable from her usual giggling by the level of deviousness it emitted.

Masquerade's eyes narrowed suspiciously. He was about to ask exactly where on the net Julie had found the too-tight spandex piece but restrained himself. _I_ _ **really**_ _don't think I want to know._

Julie held up a pair of Runo's _short_ shorts, examining it closely.

"No," she concluded and dropped it dismissively to the floor. "It would never fit."

Masquerade let out a breath of relief.

"Ah, that's it. Here," she tossed the garment to Masquerade, "try this on."

His lip curled. "Can't you find something else? You haven't even checked —"

"Silly boy, this is what I've _decided_ you're going to wear. I think it'll look _great_ on you, and Runo totally agrees." She raised her voice a few octaves, "Isn't that right, Runo."

"Sure," Runo called back. "It's whatever Julie's picked out or nothing, Masquerade. And if you don't like it, tough."

He didn't like it. But being in desperate want of something, _anything_ to cover himself up with, Masquerade reluctantly stood up to slip into the piece of _still criminally short_ clothing Julie had given him (he never thought he'd dislike Runo's lack of modest clothes so much—it was usually the opposite). At least Julie had the decency to turn around while he got dressed.

He emerged from Runo's room (more like he was pushed out the door by an overenthusiastic Julie—but, semantics), wearing what little was left of his dignity, which was mostly buried beneath the catsuit, and with a bright yellow plaited skirt hanging from his hips. If he hadn't been an eyesore before, the clashing purple and yellow now made him a walking cause for cataract.

At the sight of him, Runo could no longer keep up the fight for her composure.

She cracked, collapsing onto Julie with shaking laughter, the two girls holding each other up and each nearly screaming the other's ears off.

Masquerade bristled—made even more feline by his current attire—and without dignifying the hysterical females with another word, he brushed past them and went for the stairway, head held high and ignoring the wheezing and half-choked "Wait" at his back.

Why had he even agreed—no, _offered_ to do this? What he'd wanted…he'd wanted _justice_ , dammit, for the score to be settled so that he could finally draw a hard red line over the debts of the past. So that when he was met with the welcoming smiles of his once-enemies and victims, with their encouraging voices lacking in well-deserved contempt and their gentle touches that sometimes were the only thing helping him affirm he was real—he wanted to be able to smile back at them, knowing he had earned this.

But this deal with Runo had not turned out as he'd hoped. Honestly, it was too _bizarre_ to even come close. How could a day of slaving at the whims of a group of teenage girls equate to almost destroying the world? Still, if performing like a circus animal for their entertainment was what he needed to do, then he'd just have to grit his teeth and grind the day through like a man.

 _A man in a purple spandex catsuit…wonderful._

Bits and pieces of conversations bubbled up from the restaurant below, making Masquerade slow his pace. That…did not sound like the typical noise produce by a few chatty girls. No, he could make out disjointed strings of unrelated dialogues, the voices ranging from baritones to falsettos and accompanied by scraping chairs and laughter and the ringing of the bell over the restaurant's threshold. But why were there people in the restaurant on a Sunday?

Masquerade halted completely at the top of the stairs.

He _knew_ those voices.

 _ **No**_ , he thought. _She_ _ **wouldn't**_ _, I—who am I kidding, of course she would. And she expects me to go down there when I…_

Every muscle locked down, even his toes had curled in a death-grip on the edge of the stair, everything refusing to move forward, to descend into what would surely be _hell_.

He startled as something brushed up against his arm.

"C'mon, tough guy. What's the hold up?" There was a definite smirk in Runo's tone but Masquerade didn't turn to see it. He didn't move at all, instead he let the accumulated shock, embarrassment and betrayal out in a small, pleading utter:

" _Why?_ "

"Because it's time to put your money where your mouth is." Any hint of amusement was gone from her voice now. Runo sounded serious, earnest. "You said you wanted to earn forgiveness, so prove it. Show everyone what you're willing to put yourself through to earn it."

Hot anger flashed through him, breaking him out of his frozen shock with a snap. " _You_ _ **told**_ _them?_ "

"No!" she snapped back. "I didn't even tell the girls. They just think it's a game, you letting me prank you."

 _Some of the girls would undoubtedly have figured it out anyway and...fine, I thought that they might and it didn't bother me before_. His fist clenched. _But everyone else? If they know…if they_ _ **all**_ _know just how pathetic I am…_

He took a deep, shuddering breath—

"I _swear_ I didn't tell anyone."

—and let it out lowly. "All right, I'm ready. Let's go, _tigronok_."

"After you," she grinned with just a hint of _bite_ in the curve of her lip, " _neko-chan_."

Entering the restaurant was like breaking through the sound barrier; one moment the air was vibrating with light carefree voices and then, as Masquerade stepped into full view of the patrons, the atmosphere immediately deadened into stone cold silence.

Everyone was there. _Everyone_.

Naturally there were the girls, the leader of the resistance and the princess of Neathia looking far less regal when pink-faced with supressed giggles—even _Alice_ appeared to be biting her cheek to keep from smiling at his public torment ( _the_ _ **traitor**_ ). Then, of course, there were the rest of the brawlers, most of which bearing expressions like they were still desperately waiting for their brains to supply them with the proper reaction, _any_ kind of reaction, to the current situation—even Shun, the usually emotionless robot, had apparently short-circuited—and not getting any response. And amongst them sat Dan Kuso, Masquerade's number one rival and one of extremely few he begrudgingly considered worthy of his respect, the pyrus brawler's mouth hanging open and his eyes looking wide enough to pop right out of his scull.

But of course, there wasn't only the brawlers themselves. Oh, no, _that_ would have been almost merciful.

Spread about in the restaurant, Maquerade could easily spot the faces of his former "teammates": Komba, Julio, Billy, Chan Lee and Klaus—though he refused to meet the German businessman's eyes because he just knew that whatever the expression on Klaus' face, it was bound to make Masquerade want to punch him.

There were others, too. Various allies from Earth, Vestal, Gundalia and Neathia, some of whom Masquerade had never really been formally introduced to and yet others whose names he didn't care to remember. Well, with the exception of Mira's brother, and the sight of him and his favourite lapdog sitting by the window made Masquerade's lip pull back in an involuntary snarl.

And all of them, every single one, was looking straight at him.

Standing awkwardly and sweating slightly in the spotlight of their unblinking gazes, Masquerade tried to look as cool and unaffected as possible while in reality he was barely keeping his tense muscles from visibly shaking. He'd never felt this exposed before, and it wasn't all the costume's fault either. Though it certainly held its fair share of the responsibility.

Masquerade had never been comfortable in little clothing; he didn't like to be _looked at_ when he couldn't control what the other person was seeing, when he couldn't dress himself in little lies and all that was left was the bare truth standing unprotected against people and their small judgements. Although the suit effectively covered every inch of his skin, it was just as revealing as those awful swimming trunks Alice had tried to force on him that one time (suffice to say, he wasn't the most pleasant—or most willing—company to bring to the beach, though that never hindered Alice from trying).

A firm pat on the back refocused Masquerade's attention on the situation around him.

"Good afternoon, everyone," Runo announced, sounding every bit the enthusiastic ringleader presenting the main attraction for the audience—if the "main attraction" was lion feeding and the audience were the lions.

And Masquerade very much felt like a piece of meat.

"I'm so glad all of you decided to come over to join the party. Unfortunately, since there is so many of you, we're a bit understaffed. So to keep you all fed and happy, this guy"—again she slapped Masquerade between his shoulder blades—"has been so gracious as to volunteer."

Oh, he'd volunteered, all right. And he was damned well starting to regret it now. If only there was a way to go back in time and stop himself from going back to the restaurant and having a _damned breakdown_ right in front of Runo and making that stupid deal and then all of this could be erased from memory so he wouldn't have to—

 _ **No**_ _. I_ _ **cannot**_ _run away from this. I_ _ **won't**_ _give them the satisfaction._

Crossing his arms (somehow tucking the huge paws behind his elbows), Masquerade glared right back at the dozens of eyes staring unblinkingly at him and despite everything, the outfit, the humiliation, the wicked girl at his side, he smirked.

 _That's right, you bastards. Do. Your. Worst._

* * *

 **A/N:** I actually changed my mind between chapter about what was inside the box. I was originally going for something a little different but then my brain was like, "No. Put him in a catsuit," and well, how could I argue with that. I got to write " _I'm a **purple** **cat!**_ " and really, that one line just wrote the whole chapter for me.

But as you might have noticed, I've cut the action off right before the _real_ action starts and that's because I want to give you, reader, a chance to weigh in with **your suggestions on how Masquerade should be tortured.** What humiliating thing would you like to see Masquerade go through? Got any ideas, let me know.

And on a sidenote, Masquerade's nickname for Runo, _tigronok_ , is Russian for 'little tiger.'

 **Review Responses:**

Breezyfeather: I'm so glad you liked it and I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you. But it's okay to tell me if it did.

JetravenEx: Boy, have I kept you waiting for a _**long**_ time, haven't I? Sorry.

But it's here, it's finally here. Now you know what's inside Runo's box...and hopefully you don't completely hate me for what I've done to your favorite character. I mean, who needs dignity, anyway? (I'm so cruel—I give Masquerade a crush and then I drag him throughout the mud right in front of her)

Julie has undoubtedly thought of locking them in a closet, but I think even she realizes that keeping Masquerade and Runo in a closed space for a longer period of time cannot end well. And this is indeed only T-rated, which sadly means no naughty business.

Really, don't be afraid of telling me about things in my writing you don't like. I'm the biggest self-critic there is, I can take it.


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